Alabama Governor Withdraws Cox Warrant of Extradition

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Press Releases, Volume 6. Alabama Governor Withdraws Cox Warrant of Extradition, 1973. 19d060dd-ba92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/8c8af090-ba60-43e4-a842-c48537682fe4/alabama-governor-withdraws-cox-warrant-of-extradition. Accessed November 23, 2025.

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For information call Norman Bloomfield

Jack Himmelstein

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK, N.Y., Jan. 23- Governor Wilson's office has

withdrawn the warrant of extradition, effectively denying Alabama's

request for the extradition of Donald Lewis Cox, a 32-year old black

jan who has been living in New York City since his escape in 1966

from an Alabama prison where he was serving a life term.

Mr. Cox was convicted in 1963 by an all-white Alabama jury

for the rape Of a white woman, even though the woman's original

description of her assailants as short, bearded, 30-year old men

differed markedly from the tall, beardless, 19-year old Mr. Cox.

The jury, after hearing an erroneous instruction from the judge that

the burden of proof was on the defendant, ignored the testimony of

several black persons that he was elsewhere at the time of the crime.

Mr. Cox has been represented by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund

since his apprehension in New York City on January 18, 1973. Jack

Himmelstein, an attorney for the Legal Defense Fund, termed the Governor's

action, "a wise exercise of executive discretion." During the month of

LDF efforts, New York State Attorney General Louis Lefkowitz was helpful

in keeping channels open between LDF lawyers and the Governor's office.

Mr. Cox personally expressed, "special thanks to Governor Wilson,

also his staff and my employer, H. Maimin Cutting Machine Company, who has

stood by me from the beginning to the end." He has been employed by the

Maimin company of New York City since 1968, and its president, Joseph Maimin,

has written on behalf of Mr. Cox, terming him a "most reliable and trust-

worthy employee."

Mr. Cox lives under the name of Michael Brackett in Brooklyn with

jis family, which includes his two-year old son, Donald. Mr. Cox concluded,

saying: "For those who had their heart open, all I can say from my heart,

“Thank you.'"

NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. | 10 Columbus Circle | New York, N.Y. 10019 | (212) 586-8397

William T. Coleman, Jr. - President
Jack Greenberg - Director-Counsel

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Alabama Governor Withdraws Cox Warrant of Extradition

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